


Bread and Tea

by a_little_hazy



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Enderman Hybrid Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Protective Eret (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo Needs a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo-centric (Video Blogging RPF), They/Them Pronouns for Eret (Video Blogging RPF), phil be worried about the mentally unstable teenager in his mountian, ranbo and eret are traitor buddies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-18 07:01:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28988199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_little_hazy/pseuds/a_little_hazy
Summary: The days have not been kind of Ranboo. He turns to Eret for a little comfort.(connected to Comforting Hands and Words)
Relationships: Eret & Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 29
Kudos: 334





	Bread and Tea

**Author's Note:**

> *does a little dance*

The past few days have not been kind of Ranboo. Even with Dream in prison and new members joining the SMP, the ache and anxiety he's been holding onto have yet to relent. The pressure in his chest has only served to make him more only exhausted as the days drag on, and recent events have certainly  _ not  _ helped.

By the time his and Phil's paths cross for the day, he looks exhausted enough for the man to pause, despite being across the tundra from each other. Phil makes his way over to Ranboo's small hut, wings flapping anxiously.

"Heyy, Ranboo," he says, trying not to let his sudden anxiety show in his voice. Ranboo glances over; knees hugged to his chest in the snow as he pokes at his crops. All the wheat had grown, but he couldn't bring himself to collect it all and move on with the day. "Hey, Phil."

Phil glances back to the house, then to Ranboo, coming to stand next to him. His wings drape lightly over Ranboo's back. It's a comforting weight, even though the feathers are just barely resting on him.

"Something up?" Phil asks.

Ranboo sighs and weighs his options.  _ Yes _ , something was up, but did he really feel like talking about it? After mulling over it in his mind, he came to his decision. "Phil, I... I have to go somewhere. Will you come?"

Phil nods quickly. "Yeah, of course. Let's go."

Ranboo stumbles up and begins his walk to the abandoned portal, the setting sun bouncing off the snow and bathing everything in a warm glow. Phil follows close behind, hovering his wing over Ranboo's shoulders. They don't talk, but Ranboo likes it that way. He pulls out his communicator, whispering to Eret. He  _ wanted  _ to talk, he decided, but he couldn't handle explaining himself tonight.

As soon as Ranboo steps out of the community portal with Phil, he could already see Eret hurridly enter the community house. The doors hadn't been installed yet; that would have to be a project for the near future, Ranboo figures. He could see Eret look around quickly, trying to find him, before their eyes land on Ranboo on the steps to the portal.

He can't help the tears that well up in his eyes. "Eret!" he calls, breaking out into a run.

Eret matches his place, and they collide in a tight hug. Eret holds him tight, pressing their lips to his skull and murmuring soft things. Ranboo starts to cry, and they fall to their knees. Gently, Eret puts Ranboo's head on their shoulder, running one of their hands through his messy and uncombed hair.

"What's wrong?" they ask. "Did something happen?"

"Dream," Ranboo sobs.

Behind them, Phil approaches calmly. Eret's grip on Ranboo tightens as they watch him approach. They eye Phil suspiciously, shifting so that they'd be able to pull away quickly if Phil tried to do something. Despite this, their grip doesn't relent, and they hold onto Ranboo almost protectively. They'd pull Ranboo with them if they started to leave.

It's evident that Phil doesn't trust Eret; everyone knows this. He stood for the exact opposite of what those in the tundra stand for. But, instead of pulling Ranboo away, instead of trying to distance him from Eret, Phil holds up his wings. Carefully, the feathers cover Eret and Ranboo, shieling their moment from the world. Away from prying eyes and cruel words. Phil keeps his eyes level with the horizon, taking the form of a defender over them. It relieves Phil how quickly Eret turns their attention to Ranboo after he does that.

"What happened?" They try again, pulling Ranboo's head back and cupping his face.

"I visited Dream in prison," Ranboo says, and everyone tenses.

"What did he say?" Eret asks, and Ranboo chokes on another sob. Eret decides to put the topic away, for now, letting Ranboo hide his face again. Slowly, Eret begins to rock from side to side, humming a soft tune. Ranboo's grip on Eret's cape loosens, arms falling to his sides, and simply lets himself be held.

It takes longer than Eret would have hoped for Ranboo's breath to steady. "Come on," they urge, shifting up on their knees, "let's go elsewhere, huh? Give Phil a little break."

A small chuckle plays on Eret's voice, but Ranboo doesn't mirror it. He does, however, give a slight nod, and Eret stands. They take Ranboo's hands in their own, hoisting him up and prompting him to stand. Phil takes his wings away in one graceful movement, folding them neatly against his back. He and Eret share a look, a small thank you, and Phil nods.

Eret guides Ranboo back to their castle, speaking in a low, quiet tone. Phil could probably hear if he strained his ears, but there was a bond here that he had missed the beginnings of. He didn't want to intrude. When they arrived at Eret's castle, Puffy ducked her head and easily let Eret and Ranboo through, but gave a pointed look at Phil.

"I'll take this from here, Phil," Eret says, turning around and facing him. "Don't worry; I won't let him leave if it gets dark. We've got some things to chat about."

Phil nods. "Call if you need anything," he says to Ranboo, tapping his communicator strapped to his chest. Ranboo nods, and Phil leaves.

Ranboo is sat at Eret's dining table, much like his first night spent in the castle. Eret was preparing some food and tea, leaving Ranboo to his thoughts. A few people bustled about in the palace, Ranboo couldn't tell who, but none of them intruded. None of them dared encroach on Ranboo's space, which he was thankful for. He couldn't handle being around a lot of people right now.

Eret comes back in, offering Ranboo a cup of tea and a loaf of freshly baked bread. It had some sort of seed and fruits baked in that make it smell heavenly. It reminded Ranboo of the kinds of bread Niki used to make during times of war. Times Ranboo hopes are far behind the SMP. Eret takes a seat next to Ranboo, touching their knees together.

"Now," Eret says, lacing their fingers together and resting their hands on the table. "What did Dream say, or do, that's got you feeling like this?"

"I don't think Dream blew up the community house..." Ranboo says. He can't look up, keeping his eyes locked on the warm, sparkling liquid in his lap. His nails tap against the porcelain anxiously.

"What... makes you say that?"

"What else would I have met Dream for?" Ranboo says, risking a glance at Eret. He had told them all about his blackouts, what the voice had told him, the small bits and pieces of memory that came to him in the panic room. "Why else would Dream says he trusts me...? That version of me. What else could I have been doing? Dream... Dream is the only person on the SMP who I haven't betrayed, and everyone knows we're  _ both  _ unreliable sources."

Eret hums and looks at Ranboo. "You didn't  _ really  _ go see Dream today, did you?" Their voice is level, calm. Somehow, it makes Ranboo feel less accused.

"No..." Ranboo drops his head. He moves the tea to rest on the table, still untouched. "I was  _ going  _ to; I was going to tell him all the messed up things he's done, demand answers. I was finally gonna get myself a backbone! But... I got to the entrance, and I just... I couldn't."

Eret nods and turns their gaze to the horizon. They quietly offer a hand, which Ranboo takes, and sips on their own tea. The smell alone calm Ranboo.

"Dream... Dream is a sly bastard," Eret says. "His grip on the SMP has been suffocating for a very long time. I don't think you'll get the answers you're looking for through him. Maybe you did blow up the community house; perhaps you didn't. But there's no denying that Dream had  _ some  _ involvement in it, alright? You remember seeing him in the Nether. He gave you a disk. He wouldn't have if it wasn't all a part of his plan, right?"

Eret turns back to Ranboo, who has finally gathered the courage to tilt his head towards them.

"What matters, Ranboo, is that you also rebuilt the community house. You're probably the only person on the server who has taken responsibility for the things they've done, or might've done, in your case. Even... even I have yet to do that." Eret squeezes Ranboo's hand lightly.

"But you're tying," Ranboo offers.

"Yes... I am trying." Eret takes a deep breath, shotting a small smile towards Ranboo. "The you that is  _ present  _ and  _ remembers  _ rebuilt the community house. That's what matters."

Shakily, Ranboo nods. Finally, he straights himself a little and takes a sip of his tea, still as warm as the moment Eret handed it to him. The tea warms his body in a way fire can not. He sighs, turning to face Eret properly.

"Okay... yeah, that--that makes sense. Thank you."

Eret smiles, bumping their shoulder to Ranboo's. "You're way better than that slimy greed bastard, anyway," Eret laughs, and Ranboo does too.

Together, they finish their tea and cut slices of the warm bread. Somewhere along the line, they decide that cutting clean slices is no longer worth it and start breaking off chunks to munch on instead. Throughout the night, knights pop in to ask a few questions and hand over documents. Ranboo finds it interesting, watching Eret work. With Dream gone, they've finally been able to step up in the SMP. Apparently, various other factions were already asking to form alliances.

Even though Ranboo doesn't like the presence of sides, the prospect of war if they begin to disagree, he has to admit... Eret is working hard to bring them all together. Despite Eret being a king, they make themselves feel as though they are simply one of the people. It's a step forward in the right direction, Ranboo feels.

Eret's allies are chosen through relationship, not through power, which is what Ranboo has always wanted.

"You see this?" Eret asks, standing in front of their map of the SMP. It was something new they added to the castle, now that more and more business was happening on its grounds. "This beautiful land... So much history has happened here, so fast, Ranboo. That's why I'm so dedicated to the museum. So that new members like you can learn from our mistakes and see what once was."

They sigh and step back, Ranboo quickly joining their side.

"At the very least, Dream is going to be playing by our rules for the time being. I wonder what we can accomplish with him out of the way."

"Peace, hopefully," Ranboo says. He thinks back to the paranoid looks Techo occasionally gives to the horizon. The Curse of Vanishing books stashed away amongst Unbreaking and Mending books. The secrets he and Phil tell to protect themselves. He thinks about the L'manberg crater, the panic room, L'manberg's first president, the wars. He looks at Eret, hopeful for what's to come.

"Peace, hopefully," Eret repeats. "You see, Ranboo, Dream's control over this SMP, over this land and the people, it was never meant to be."

Ranboo chuckles. "Maybe you're right."

The sun had long fallen, and true to their word, Eret wouldn't let Ranboo leave until morning. He sent a whisper to Phil, telling him that he was fine and he'd be back in the morning. Ranboo huffed out a small side, sat on his bed. He hadn't told anyone he had a room in Eret's castle, but... maybe soon. For now, he said goodnight to Eret and settled into his small space.

**Author's Note:**

> *does another little dance*  
> please give me comments they fuel me


End file.
